A Long Distance Relationship?
by 18lzytwner
Summary: Stephanie and Pixel are having difficulties being separated until the summer. What will they do? Can their love survive the long distance? Or Robbie's evil scheme? Find out for yourselves. Finished 8,6,05. Thanks for all those recent reviews!
1. Chapter 1

A Long Distance Relationship?

By 18lzytwner

Chapter 1

Stephanie sat on her bed and stared out the window. It was now March and she had been home for seven months. She had been writing Pixel everyday since she left LazyTown and he had written her back. For Christmas and Valentines, they had sent each other gifts through the mail. Somehow, it wasn't enough. Stephanie could hardly wait until mid-May when school was over and she could return to LazyTown. Mid-May until about three-quarters through August (school started around the 22nd of August) didn't seem like a long time but she was glad to have it just the same. There was a knock on her bedroom door and she sighed "Come in."

The door opened and her parents, Doug and Amanda, came in. "Are you alright?" Her mother asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. I've just been feeling a little empty that's all." Stephanie replied.

"Oh, why is that?" Her father asked.

"I just miss my friends in LazyTown that's all." Was the only thing she told them. Stephanie hadn't worked up the courage to tell them about her and Pixel.

"But you get letters from there almost everyday." Doug said. He didn't seem to grasp completely what was going on. Amanda on the other hand thought she had figured it out. She had seen the letters or at least the envelopes. They were all from the same address with the same name on the top, Pixel. Stephanie's Christmas and Valentines packages had had that same label on it as well. Amanda turned to her husband and said, "Well we just wanted to check up on you. Your father and I have some work to do." She winked at Doug and he took the hint. The two scurried out of Stephanie's room and went down to the kitchen.

"I think I know what's going on." Amanda explained to Doug. "But I need to be able to talk to her alone."

"Ok. But can you clue me in to what's going on?" Doug replied.

"I'll let you know when I find out for sure." Amanda told him. With that, she went back down the hall to Stephanie's room. She knocked again on the door and Stephanie said to come in.

"Honey, we need to talk." Her mother explained.

"About what?" Stephanie asked cautiously.

"Mostly about your moping. You aren't a moping type of person. What happened to your singing, dancing, and playing soccer?" Amanda asked. At this, Stephanie burst into tears. Her mother completely confused pulled her close and held her.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked, now concerned.

"Well I haven't been completely truthful about the letters." Stephanie managed between sobs.

"Oh I see. Those ones always sent from the same address, huh?" Her mother replied. Stephanie nodded. "Well that's ok I think I figured it out." Amanda told her. Stephanie looked up at her and said, "You did?"

"Uh huh. If Pixel is a boy than I definitely figured it out." Her mother said knowingly.

"Yes, he is a boy and we are…" Stephanie started.

"And you are a couple." Amanda finished. Stephanie had stopped crying and nodded.

"You know I'm going to tell you something you might find a little shocking but I bet it will help." Her mother said.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In LazyTown there was someone else who was having troubles. He rarely played with his friends, played on his computer, or played video games. Everyone was beginning to notice how bad it was getting. As of late the only thing that came out of Pixel's house were his letters to Stephanie. Sportacus decided that it was time for a talk.

Sportacus docked his airship at the Mayor's house and knocked on the door. Mayor Meanswell answered the door and ushered Sportacus in.

"What are we going to do about Pixel?" The Mayor asked.

"I haven't figured that out yet. Maybe we could suggest something to Stephanie's parents about letting her stay here a little longer." Sportacus suggested.

"Well whatever we do we have to do something quick before it gets worse." Mayor Meanswell said. "I'm very concerned about Pixel and I hear from my sister that it isn't going so well over there either."

"Oh, what did I start?" Sportacus said.

"What do you mean?" The Mayor asked.

"Well I told Pixel to tell Stephanie how he felt." Sportacus explained.

"So how is that a bad thing?" Mayor Meanswell said, confused.

"I wasn't thinking about Stephanie having to leave. I completely forgot." Sportacus said. The Mayor nodded in understanding. Then the two sat and discussed ideas for the next hour.

Pixel sat by his window and stared out at the beautiful sunny day. It was warm for March and the kids had asked him to play but he had said maybe later. He now saw them playing soccer in the mud. They were laughing and having a good time. Pixel went over to his desk and picked out a piece of pink paper. It was Stephanie's last letter. It read:

"Dear Pixel,

I miss you so much. Things aren't the same here. I enjoyed your Valentines Day present. Those new pink hairclips and bandanas are very nice. So was the chocolate. You sure know how to spoil me. I hope you enjoyed my present. I'm counting the days until we're together again.

Love,

Stephanie"

He looked over at his desk. She had given him a great present. It was a new set of screwdrivers and more soldering equipment. He had need those for his inventions. His inventions. He hadn't invented anything since Stephanie left. How come he felt so empty and out of place? He just sat there and grabbed a piece of paper and began to write Stephanie another letter. But then he had an idea. Pixel jumped off his bed and began searching underneath it for something.

Back at the Mayor's house Sportacus and Mayor Meanswell had come up with an idea. Maybe while Stephanie was back home, she could visit on her spring or winter breaks. They were about to call Stephanie's house but the Mayor thought of something.

"What if my sister and her husband don't know about the two of them?" The Mayor asked.

"I hadn't thought of that. Well why don't we just call her house and ask to speak to her first and find out what's been going on over there." Sportacus suggested.

"Good idea, Sportacus." Mayor Meanswell acknowledged.

So the two went to the phone and called Stephanie's house. Doug answered the phone and said that he'd get Stephanie. When Stephanie came to the phone, her Uncle explained what was going on over there and wondered how she was doing. She told him that she was doing as best she could. Then he explained Sportacus' and his idea to her and wondered if her mom and dad would go for it. Stephanie said she'd have to call him back and let him know.

Pixel had found what he was looking for. His suitcase. He filled it up with clothes, his toothbrush, and some other important things. Then grabbing all his wallet and leaving a note, he struck out for the train station.

TO BE CONTINUED ……


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Stephanie went back to her room and her mother was waiting. She sat back down on the bed and told Amanda that Uncle Milford and Sportacus had an idea about what to do for their emotional problems. Amanda said that she thought it would be a nice idea but she would have to talk it over with Stephanie's father.

"Now tell me what you were going to tell me." Stephanie begged.

"Ok. Well I met your father when I was only about 13 years old. From the day I met him I knew there was something special about him. However, I couldn't find the courage to tell him. So from a far I loved him. We graduated from high school and I went to the local community college and he went to the local university. I transferred over there after three years and by then I had waited long enough. I was nervous I'd ruin our friendship but I needed to let him know. So I got up the courage told him straight out. At first he didn't know what to say. But then he smiled and we started to go out. Now obviously you know the rest. But there was a time when he had to go out of town on business for almost nine months. I missed him. sure we wrote everyday but it wasn't the same. I moped and didn't go out a lot. At work I put on a good face and tried to act happy but I wasn't. We overcame our separation by visiting each other. I requesting two weeks off and I went to your father's project. We enjoyed those two weeks and then when I went home I wasn't so lonely anymore. I started to mark how many days were left until he came home. I cleaned up around the house and most importantly I smiled. Smiling is the best thing to cheer you up. If you smiled some more I bet you wouldn't feel so bad." Amanda finished.

"Well, I'll try. How do you think dad will take it?" Stephanie asked.

"Don't worry. I know he'll be nervous but if your uncle approves of him I'm sure there won't be too many problems." Her mother smiled.

Stephanie smiled back and said, "I'll call Uncle Milford and let him know that you and dad are going to discuss it."

"Good idea. Besides maybe you can talk to Pixel while your on the phone." Amanda smiled.

Stephanie went to the phone and called Mayor Meanswell. She told him the good news and asked if she could talk to Pixel. The Mayor said that he would go over to Pixel's and get him in the meantime Sportacus would like to talk to her. Sportacus came on the line and they talked about how things were going. Stephanie admitted that she missed Sportacus and her other friends as well as Pixel. Sportacus admitted that he too missed her and could hardly wait for the summer. In the middle of their conversation the Mayor busted back into the house and told Sportacus to put the phone down. Confused Sportacus did as he was told. The Mayor then told him Pixel was nowhere to be seen. Sportacus picked up the phone and told Stephanie that they would call her back. He explained that Pixel was in the middle of something that he couldn't get away from. Stephanie said she understood and hung up. Then Sportacus and the Mayor called everyone together and told them that Pixel was missing. They broke up into three search parties and split up.

Pixel made it to the train station and purchased a one way ticket to Stephanie's home town. It would take eight hours by train but that was the only ticket he could afford. He counted his money. He only had twelve dollars and thirty cents left. _Oh well I'll make do_, he thought. Then he put his suitcase on the shelf above his seat and stared out the window. The conductor came by and noticed Pixel sitting by himself and asked him if he was all by himself. Pixel said he was but that he was visiting family at the last stop. The conductor said if Pixel needed anything to let him know. Pixel said he appreciated that and promised to let him know if he needed anything. Then Pixel returned to his window and looked out at the passing countryside.

TO BE CONTINUED ……


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was getting late and Pixel hadn't called back. Stephanie was getting a little worried and kept looking at the clock. It was seven o'clock and soon Stephanie would be going to bed soon. Then the phone rang and she practically grabbed it out of her father's hands.

"Hello, this is Stephanie."

"Hi Stephanie." It was Mayor Meanswell. He sounded upset.

"What's wrong Uncle? Did something happen to Pixel?" Stephanie asked nervously.

"Put your mother on the phone." The Mayor said.

"But…" Stephanie started.

"Put her on the phone." Uncle Milford repeated. Stephanie got her mother and handed over the phone.

"What's going on Milford?" Amanda asked.

"Pixel is missing." Milford put bluntly.

"He did. When?" Amanda whispered.

"About six hours ago. We looked everywhere and we can't find him." Milford explained.

"Do you think he'll come here?" She asked.

"Probably. He has your address. But I don't know if he had enough money to buy any tickets of any type." He replied.

"Well we'll keep our eyes peeled. What should I do with him if he does show up? And what do I tell Stephanie?" Amanda inquired.

"If he does show up, keep him there. I think he probably came to visit Stephanie. As far as Stephanie, I don't know what to tell you. Do you think if maybe I or Sportacus told her she would take it better?" He asked.

"Anything is worth a shot. If you think it'll help, I'm open to suggestions." Amanda told him.

"All right give her the phone." Milford said. He handed the phone to Sportacus. Amanda handed the phone to Stephanie.

"Pixel?" Stephanie asked.

"No it's me, Sportacus." Was the reply.

"Oh, is everything ok?" she asked.

"Well not exactly. Listen you have to promise me that you won't get too upset, ok?" Sportacus asked.

"Ok, I promise. What's wrong?" Stephanie asked nervously.

"Pixel is missing. We have been looking for him but we can't find him." Sportacus explained. Stephanie sunk to the floor. There was silence on the other end and Sportacus was worried.

"Stephanie are you still with me?" He asked.

"Uh huh." She said weakly.

"We are doing everything we can to find him. You keep your chin up, ok." Sportacus said.

"I'll try. I wish you were here." Stephanie replied.

"I wish I was too. Hang in there I'll call you if anything develops, ok?" He asked.

"Ok. Please find him, Sportacus." Stephanie said.

"I will. I promise. Good bye Stephanie." Sportacus said.

"Good bye, Sportacus." She replied and hung up the phone. Her mother rushed over to her and the two sat on the floor. Stephanie cried and cried. Amanda tried to comfort her, the best she could. It was now eight o' clock and Stephanie was worn out physically and emotionally. Doug lifted her off the floor and put her on the couch in the living room. There she fell into a restless sleep. Stephanie tossed and turned and cried. Finally, she stopped and fell into a deep sleep. By then it was quarter to nine. Her parents sat there and kept an eye on her. Around nine-thirty there was a knock on the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Stephanie awoke when she heard the knock. Her dad was already opening the door. She rushed up to the door and there was Pixel.

"Stephanie!" Pixel shouted.

"Pixel!" She shouted back.

The two embraced. Doug and Amanda just stood there smiling. Then after they let go of each other Doug ushered them back in while Amanda called Milford. Milford was relieved and thanked his sister for calling. Stephanie and Pixel were chattering up a storm and Doug didn't know what to do.

"Pixel, I was so worried when Sportacus told me you were missing." Stephanie told him.

"But I left a note. Apparently no one found it." He replied.

"What made you get up and leave by yourself?" Doug interrupted.

Pixel blushed and replied, "Well to be honest sir, your daughter. I missed her so much."

"I missed you too, Pixel. But you know what; my mom told me a way to help with that. Also Uncle Milford and Sportacus came up with an idea." Stephanie told him.

She explained what they thought up and Pixel agreed it was a great idea. Amanda joined the conversation by saying it was now ten-thirty and the kids should go to bed. Pixel yawned and so did Stephanie.

"Good thing it's Saturday, right mom?" Stephanie said between yawns. Amanda ushered the kids to Stephanie's room. While she made Pixel a bed on the floor, Stephanie and Pixel took turns getting ready for bed. Then they got into bed.

"Good night mom. Good night Pixel." Stephanie said.

"Good night Stephanie's mom. Good night Stephanie." Pixel said.

"Good night guys. Sleep tight." Amanda said.

"Uh, Stephanie's mom?" Pixel said.

"Yeah, Pixel?" Amanda asked.

"Thank you for everything." Pixel told her.

"You're welcome, Pixel." Amanda replied.

Then Pixel fell asleep. Stephanie had already fallen asleep. Amanda closed the door and went downstairs.

Once downstairs Amanda went out to the kitchen and called Milford. They discussed what they were going to do about Pixel. Finally after an hour on the phone they decided what to do. They would have Sportacus fly in and pick Pixel up Sunday night around five o'clock. It only took Sportacus an hour to fly from LazyTown to Stephanie's hometown. Amanda thanked Milford and promised to tell the kids. Then she hung up. After that she and Doug discussed what happened and what they were going to do. Doug said that it was a brave thing for Pixel to do but a bad idea that he just disappeared. Amanda agreed and she looked at the clock it was now midnight. They were exhausted and they went to bed.

TO BE CONTINUED….


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Back in LazyTown, Milford told everyone the good news. Later he pulled Sportacus aside and asked him what to do about Pixel.

"Since I'm going to pick him up, maybe I should be the one to tell him what we're going to do." Sportacus suggested.

"I agree. He did a brave thing but the way he went about it was bad." Mayor Meanswell conceded.

"Well we don't want to punish him for wanting to see Stephanie but on the other hand something has to be done about the whole thing." Sportacus said.

"But what do we do?" The Mayor asked.

"You know let me sleep on it. I don't have to leave until four o'clock tomorrow. I'm sure we'll be able to come up with something. Good night Mayor." Sportacus said.

"You're right. Good night Sportacus." Mayor Meanswell said.

Unbeknownst to our two friends someone was listening to their conversation. Robbie, who had been unable to sleep with everyone looking for Pixel, smirked.

"This will the perfect time to get rid of Sportakook!" He said to no one in particular. "While Sportakook is away getting Poodle, I'll cause trouble. Sportapoop will be shamed into leaving and the little girl with the pink hair will hate Poodle for making Sportacus come get him. Sportalooney won't be here when LazyTown needs him and he'll be mad at Poodle too. My plan is perfect."

Robbie did his little dance around his lair until he tripped over his chair and said, "I meant to do that." Then Robbie climbed into his big fuzzy orange chair, grabbed his blankie, and fell asleep.

The next morning, Stephanie climbed out of bed around nine in the morning. Pixel was still asleep on the floor. She quietly grabbed some clothes from her closet and went to the bathroom. Showered and dressed she emerged from the bathroom about twenty minutes later. Then she opened her bedroom door to see if Pixel was still sleeping. He was just getting up and he turned around when the door opened.

"Good morning sleepyhead." Stephanie said.

"Good morning." Pixel yawned back.

"Well I'll let you get ready. Come down to the kitchen when you're done. I bet mom will have something special for breakfast." Stephanie told him. Pixel nodded and grabbed some clothes out of his suitcase and headed for the bathroom. Stephanie went downstairs to find her parents. Once downstairs she found them in the living room.

"Good morning, mom and dad." Stephanie smiled and gave her parents hugs.

"Good morning to you too sweetheart." Doug said.

"Where is Pixel?" Amanda asked.

"He's taking a shower." Stephanie replied.

"After breakfast we need to talk to you guys ok?" Amanda said.

"Sure. What's up?" Stephanie asked.

"Wait until after breakfast." Doug said. Just then Pixel came downstairs.

"Good morning Pixel. Did you sleep well?" Doug asked.

"Very well thank you." Pixel replied.

"So what's for breakfast, mom?" Stephanie asked. "I'm starving."

Her mom smiled and pulled out blueberry muffins from the oven. Then she grabbed the milk from the refrigerator and some cereal boxes from the pantry. Doug brought out some cantaloupe.

"Wow. This looks great." Pixel said as he reached for the shredded mini-wheats.

"Thank you." Amanda said. Stephanie was enjoying one of the muffins and then she reached for the cornflakes.

"Can you pass the milk, Pixel?" Stephanie asked.

"Sure Stephanie." He handed her the milk. When she reached for it their hands touched and she giggled. Pixel, who was nervous around Stephanie's parents, blushed. Amanda and Doug started to laugh and soon everyone was having a good laugh.

After they cleaned up from breakfast, Amanda and Doug told them that Sportacus was going to pick Pixel up around five that afternoon. Pixel said that grateful for Stephanie's parents being so understanding. Stephanie's parents had some yard work to do but they suggested that Stephanie and Pixel go to the playground down the street. The two said that was a good idea and put their sneakers on. Amanda told them to be back for lunch around two o'clock. They promised they would be and then they walked to the playground holding hands.

TO BE CONTINUED….


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sportacus climbed down his ladder and went to the Mayor's house. He knocked on the door and Mayor Meanswell opened the door and let him in.

"Well Mayor I think I've come up with a solution. What if we had Pixel mow the sports field from the time he comes home until Stephanie comes in summer? It would help him keep his mind off of her and it'll be his community service." Sportacus suggested.

"Great idea, Sportacus! I think he'll go for that. It'll get him outside and it will give him something else to do." The Mayor said ecstatically.

Sportacus smiled and shook hands with the Mayor. Then his crystal went off.

"I gotta go. I'll see you later, Mayor." Sportacus said as he rushed off. Mayor Meanswell went to take care of his garden. Sportacus found Ziggy, Trixie, and Stingy fighting over whose turn it was to hit the baseball.

While Sportacus was taking care of that, Robbie watched from his periscope. "He thinks that he's so special." Robbie muttered. "Well wait until I get my plan rolling." He snickered. Robbie went over to his disguise tubes. The first disguise was his salesman outfit. He shook his head and moved to the next tube. In that one was his baseball outfit. Again he shook his head and moved on. The dinosaur costume was next. Remembering how that worked the last time he decided against it and went to the next one. Robbie had found what he was looking for, his lumberjack outfit. "Perfect!" Robbie shouted. He went over to the piano and entered the musical code. Then swirling around he was transformed into a lumberjack. Grabbing the saw, he went to go topside. When Robbie reached the top he tried to lift the lid. "Is it me or is thing getting heavier everyday?" He said under his breath. Finally he was able to lift it and reach the ladder. Throwing the saw down he climbed down and breathed heavily, "Whew!" he said. Then Robbie headed toward the kids tree house.

Sportacus had solved the baseball problem and looked at his watch. It was three-thirty. "I have to go guys. I'll see you later." With that Sportacus flipped away toward his airship. He didn't notice Robbie scurrying toward the tree house. Once the ladder was up and the air brake disengaged, Sportacus was on his way. That's when Robbie made his move.

Robbie had reached the tree house and sawed some the supporting branches. He figured with the weight of the tree house, the branches may come down by themselves. If not, one good hit with a soccer ball or the weight of a kid might do it. Then he ran back to his lair.

Once inside his lair, he changed out of the lumberjack outfit. Then he walked over to his catapult and loaded a bowling ball into it. "I want to be sure it works." He said to himself. Then he lined up the tree house in the crosshairs and fired.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Sportacus was out of range when the bowling ball crashed into the tree house. The tree house shook and the branches below the tree house broke and everything fell apart. All that noise attracted everyone to the tree house. No one saw the other bowling ball headed toward the power transformer.

Sportacus arrived and docked at Stephanie's house. He climbed down the ladder and went up the walk. He then knocked on the door and Stephanie answered it.

"Sportacus!" She shouted and gave him a big hug.

"Well, it's good to see you too, Stephanie. May I come in?" Sportacus smiled.

"Sure, come on." Stephanie said. They entered the house and Stephanie got her parents.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sportacus. We've heard so much about you." Doug said extending his hand. Sportacus told hold of Doug's hand and shook it.

"Well, likewise sir." Sportacus replied. "And this must be the mother I hear so much about." Taking Amanda's hand and kissing it.

"Oh my you are quite the gentleman." Amanda blushed.

"Enough with the formalities, do you have time to stay awhile?" Doug asked.

"Sadly, no. I must get Pixel back to LazyTown. He and I have some things to talk about and he has school in the morning. But thank you for the offer." Sportacus said.

"Where is Pixel anyway?" Amanda asked. Just then Stephanie and Pixel came downstairs. They were laughing about something.

"Are you ready to go, Pixel?" Sportacus asked.

"Um, yeah but can I have a minute with Stephanie?" Pixel asked.

"Sure, if her parents are ok with it." Sportacus smiled. Pixel pulled Stephanie outside and they sat down on the steps.

"Stephanie, I just wanted to say that I love you and I'll miss you until we see each other again." Pixel said nervously.

"Pixel, I love you too. Now remember what we talked about and that will help, ok?" Stephanie replied. Pixel smiled and leaned in Stephanie turned her head and waited for the kiss on the cheek. But Pixel had other ideas. He turned her head and planted one on her lips. Then Sportacus came out the door. Stephanie was blushing and Pixel started to giggle.

"We'll talk about that later." Sportacus laughed. Waving good bye Sportacus and Pixel got aboard the airship and headed back to LazyTown. LazyTown was having problems of their own at the moment.

Once the bowling ball hit the power transformer all the lights in LazyTown went out. Since everyone had been distracted by the loud crash of the tree house, no one had seen the power transformer getting hit. It was now five thirty and Mayor Meanswell was trying to calm everyone down. They were lucky that no one was in the tree house but now with the power out and the sunset happening in about an hour, people were beginning to panic.

"What are we going to do?" Ziggy asked.

"Where is Sportacus?" Trixie asked. Everyone knew the answer to second question but had no idea about the first. The Mayor took charge. He told the kids to try to clean up the tree house mess while he and Bessie took a look around the power station. The kids got to work. Mayor Meanswell and Bessie went from pole to pole until they reached the power transformer at the power plant. Workers at the power plant were running around trying to figure out where exactly the problem was. The foreman approached the Mayor and asked, "Where is Sportacus? He could help us pinpoint and fix the problem."

The Mayor replied, "He's not here. We expect him back soon though."

The foreman shook his head and said, "Without him it'll take us twice as long to find and fix the problem. LazyTown could be without power for up to twelve hours. Maybe longer, I'm not sure."

"Well do your best. As soon as Sportacus arrives I'll send him over." Mayor Meanswell told the foreman.

"For our sakes I hope it's soon." The foreman replied. Just then the foreman's radio crackled. He answered it. He frowned when the man on the radio said there were a lot of downed wires and they think the problem was in the middle of them. The foreman excused himself and headed off to the section where his men were.

When the foreman arrived, the workers showed him the downed lines and the mass of metal, wires, and burning plastic. The fire company arrived and used foam to put out the burning plastic. Once that was out the electrical worker were able to take a closer look at the wires. The outlook wasn't good. Then one of the workers found the bowling ball.

TO BE CONTINUED….


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sportacus and Pixel arrived in LazyTown at quarter after six. It wasn't until after the airship docked and they got out that the noticed what was going on. Pixel saw the kids over by the tree house and ran over to them. Sportacus ran over to the Mayor's house. The Mayor was on the phone. Sportacus entered his house and Milford got off the phone.

"Sportacus we need you down at the power plant." The Mayor said.

"What happened here, Mayor?" Sportacus asked. The Mayor explained what had happened and that the foreman had called to say that they found what caused the power outage. The two arrived at the power plant and the foreman greeted them.

"Sportacus where were you?" The foreman asked.

"I was picking up someone." Was the only explanation Sportacus gave. The foreman looked like he was going to say something but then he changed his mind.

"Anyway he is what we found." The foreman pointed to the bowling ball. "This bowling ball hit the transformer. This in turn snapped these wires and melted the plastic coating. It will take probably four hours to get new wire in and attach it to the poles. It'll probably take five hours to fix the transformer. Then it'll take two or three hours to attach the new wires to the transformer." The foreman finished.

"I'll help you make the repairs. Hopefully that will help speed things up." Sportacus said. The foreman again was going to say something but thought better of it. The Mayor however thanked Sportacus and pulled the foreman aside.

"Dou you have a problem?" The Mayor asked bluntly.

"Yes, to be honest. Sportacus wasn't here. That's why this happened and now that my workers and the firemen have done the hard part and he just comes in to do the easy stuff." The foreman told the Mayor.

"You may be right about this incident happening because he was gone but don't turn down his help now. If he could he would take back what's happened. You have to cut him some slack. How many times has he saved this town before? The one time you have to do something yourself and you're going to get in his face?" The Mayor demanded the foreman answer.

"I see your point Mayor Meanswell. You're right. But what was he doing that demanded his attention?" The foreman asked.

"He was bringing back Pixel. You remember searching everywhere looking for him yesterday?" The Mayor asked.

"Oh they found him. Well then definitely that was worth going to get him. But why didn't he just say that?" The foreman asked.

"You know he wouldn't bring that up since the situation here is more serious." The Mayor replied.

"Thank you for setting me straight, Mayor. I'd better apologize to him." The foreman said.

"Good idea. I understand you're under a lot of stress with this mess. Now if you need me I'll be helping the kids clean up the tree house." The Mayor told him.

"All right, Mayor. I'll keep you informed of our progress." The foreman replied and went over to Sportacus. The Mayor headed for the tree house. As he got closer he heard Trixie yelling at someone and he ran over to see what was going on.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Trixie was yelling at Pixel. Pixel was just standing there taking it. The Mayor came over and stopped Trixie.

"What is going on here?" The Mayor demanded. Scared by his tone everyone stopped talking.

"It's his fault this happened. If he hadn't run to Pinky then Sportacus wouldn't have left. The tree house would still be intact and we'd still have power in LazyTown." Trixie shouted. At that Pixel turned and ran towards his house. No one saw him start to cry. _Trixie is right. It's my fault._ Pixel thought. He ran up to his room and the locked the door.

The Mayor turned to Trixie. "Why did you do that?"

"It's the truth." Trixie wasn't going to back down. Ziggy picked up something out of the rubble of the tree house and handed it to Trixie.

"What happened to friends forever?" He asked. Then Ziggy turned and left. Stingy turned with his armload of things and said, "MINE!" Then he left as well. Mayor Meanswell turned around and went to his house. Bessie just stood there with her mouth hanging open. Trixie stared at what Ziggy had given her. It was a picture of Stingy, Ziggy, Pixel, Stephanie, and herself in front of the finished tree house. They were all smiling. She dropped to her knees and cried.

Ziggy knocked on Pixel's door but Pixel refused to answer. Sadly Ziggy turned and went home. Pixel just sat on his bed and cried himself to sleep.

Back at the power plant, the foreman apologized to Sportacus. "I'm sorry I said what I did Sportacus. I just wasn't thinking." The foreman explained. He extended his hand and Sportacus shook it.

"I understand why you're upset. Let's put it behind us and fix the power." Sportacus smiled. But it was a hollow smile. Somewhere inside Sportacus knew that things would never be the same. So they started with the new wire and attaching it to the poles. They worked long into the night and by four in the morning everything was up and working. Sportacus left the power plant and headed for his airship. On the way he saw the tree house mess and finished picking it up. He had no idea what had happened the night before. It was now five in the morning and he climbed the ladder and went to sleep in his airship.

The Mayor awoke around seven and went out for a walk. He hadn't meant to explode on Trixie. He was just so upset about the whole thing. First, the workers were upset at Sportacus and then Trixie being so mad that she ruined the kids' friendship. He walked by Pixel's house and decided to see if he could talk to him. Pixel still refused to open the door and the Mayor had no idea what to do.

Sportacus slept restlessly until ten in the morning. He couldn't help but think about what happened the night before. Sportacus then got up, disengaged the air brake, and left the LazyTown skies.

Robbie saw Sportacus leave and he saw the kids fight the night before. "My plan worked!" He shouted and started to dance around. "Now I can be lazy whenever I want and those kids will never play again! The blue elf is gone too! This day is my favorite day ever!"

That best day ever lasted a long time. Pixel never sent out letters to Stephanie nor did he answer his phone. Stingy, Ziggy, and Trixie hadn't said a word to each other since that night. Sportacus hadn't come back either. Stephanie was getting more depressed everyday. Her letters and phone calls went unanswered by everyone with the exception of her Uncle. Even when she got her uncle on the phone the conversation lasted about two minutes. He wouldn't answer any of her questions. Confused and hurt Stephanie stopped trying after a month passed. Would things ever be back to normal in LazyTown?

TO BE CONTINUED….


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It was now May twentieth and school would be soon over for Stephanie. She wasn't sure if she actually wanted to visit her Uncle this summer. Her parents said she should try to tough it out for at least two weeks. If she couldn't take it then they would come get her.

On Saturday, the twenty fifth, she took her suitcases and boarded the train to LazyTown. Her parents waved goodbye as the train pulled out of the station. Stephanie sighed and looked out the window. The conductor came by to collect her ticket.

"Is something wrong Miss?" The conductor asked.

Stephanie gave a weak smile and said, "I'm going to visit my Uncle. But things haven't been going so well over there."

"Sorry to hear about that. Well if you need anything let me know. LazyTown is our second last stop so it'll be around eight hours." The conductor smiled.

"Thank you very much." Stephanie said. The rest of the train ride was uneventful. Upon arriving in LazyTown the conductor helped Stephanie with her bags. "Goodbye miss and good luck." He said. "Thanks again, sir." Stephanie smiled. As the train pulled away she looked around for her Uncle at the station. He was nowhere to be seen, so she headed to his house by herself.

As Stephanie walked through town she realized that it looked a lot like last summer. The sports field was a mess and the tree house was missing. She didn't know what had happened back in March. She arrived at her Uncle's house and knocked on the door. Uncle Milford opened the door and was caught off guard.

"Stephanie is it May already?" He asked, confused.

"Yes Uncle. What is going on in LazyTown? Why has no one answered my letters or phone calls? Where is the tree house? Why is the sports field a mess? Why isn't anyone playing outside? Where is Sportacus?" Stephanie barraged the Mayor with all those questions.

"Come in and have a seat. I'll explain everything." Mayor Meanswell said. He then proceeded to tell her everything that happened the night Sportacus brought Pixel back.

"Ever since then no one talks to each other or leaves their homes. The sports field hasn't been used so I haven't taken care of it. Pixel was going to take care of it but he won't come out of his room. No one has rebuilt the tree house because they won't talk to each other. Sportacus has been gone since the day after he helped fix the power. No one knows were he went or why he left." Uncle Milford finished. Stephanie tried to absorb all that information in one sitting.

"I've given up on the whole idea of getting things back to normal." Mayor Meanswell sighed.

"There's always a way, Uncle! We have to do something!" Stephanie said determinately.

"How are we going to do it, Stephanie?" He asked. Stephanie thought about it. She continued to think until bedtime.

"Maybe something will come to me in my sleep." Stephanie said to her Uncle.

He smiled and said, "I hope so, Stephanie. Good night."

"Good night, Uncle Milford." Stephanie said. She fell asleep wondering what Sportacus would do in this situation.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Sportacus looked at his calendar and realized that Stephanie would be in LazyTown. He missed her and the other kids. They always had so much fun together. _But that is in the past now_, he thought. _I can't go back there. They don't want me._

Stephanie awoke early, showered, and dressed. She crept by her Uncle's room and headed for the kitchen. There she made some herself some breakfast and wrote a note to her Uncle telling him where she went. Grabbing her backpack she filled it with sports candy and water bottles. Then she went out to the garage and put on her helmet and got on her bicycle. She had an important mission to go on.

Uncle Milford woke up and got ready for the day. Down in the kitchen he found Stephanie's note. It read:

"Uncle Milford,

I have taken my bike and gone to FunTown. I hope to find some of my answers there. I hope to be back by noon.

Love,

Stephanie"

Robbie had seen Stephanie arrive the day before. _What is she doing here?_ He wondered. _Oh well it's not like she going to bring Sportacus back or anything, right? _That thought made him jump out of his chair.

Stephanie arrived in FunTown around nine in the morning. She knocked on the door of Number 9's house. Vigdís answered the door.

"Why, Stephanie! It's so good to see you. Come in." She let Stephanie in.

"We need to talk." Stephanie said. Vigdís saw the look in her eyes and knew Stephanie was serious.

"What's going on?" Vigdís asked.

"Have you talked to Sportacus lately?" Stephanie inquired.

"Yes, in fact, just yesterday. Why?" Vigdís looked confused.

"Well he left LazyTown about a month and a half ago and no one has had contact with him since." Stephanie sighed.

"There is something he failed to mention." Vigdís said. Just then Number 9 walked in. Shocked to see Stephanie he asked if there were any problems. His wife filled him in on what had happened. Number 9 was even more shocked by that.

"I know where his airship is docked. He has some explaining to do. Come on." Number 9 declared. They left the house and followed Number 9 to the airship.

"I'd better go up first. You guys come up right behind me." Number 9 said. Stephanie and Vigdís followed him up the ladder. He entered the airship. Sportacus was sitting on his bed. It struck Stephanie as odd that Sportacus was just sitting there.

"We need to talk, son." Number 9 said. Sportacus practically jumped when he heard his father's voice. He spun around to see his mother and Stephanie.

Surprised he stuttered, "What's up?"

"You have to come back to LazyTown." Stephanie pleaded with him.

"I can't. No one wants me there." Sportacus said. Everyone stood there with their mouths hanging open.

"What are you talking about?" Vigdís asked. Sportacus explained what happened at the power plant that night.

"But Sportacus we need you back in LazyTown. No one talks to each other or plays outside. The sports field is a mess. Pixel won't come out of his room. It's ugly. If something doesn't change soon LazyTown will be just that LAZY!" Stephanie snapped. Sportacus had never seen Stephanie like that. Even his parents were shocked.

"Well what's your decision?" Number 9 asked.

TO BE CONTINUED….


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Stephanie sat in her Uncle's living room trying to decide what to do. Mayor Meanswell brought her some lunch.

"Here Stephanie, have some brain food." He smiled.

"Thanks Uncle Milford." She picked up a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and took a bite.

"Have some milk with that. I think I put too much peanut butter on it." Uncle Milford laughed. Stephanie tried to giggle but the peanut butter had stuck her mouth together. She took a sip through a straw and that made things better.

"There is something I haven't seen in awhile." Uncle Milford said.

"What's that, Uncle?" Stephanie asked.

"You were giggling." He replied. Stephanie smiled and helped her Uncle pick up the lunch dishes. They washed, dried, and put away the dishes. There was a knock on the door and Stephanie answered it.

"Sportacus!" Stephanie shouted. She wrapped her arms around his rock hard six pack.

"Thank you, Stephanie." He said squeezing her.

"For what, Sportacus?" She asked.

"For helping me realize what is really important. We need to get things turned around here." Sportacus said.

"So you're staying?" Stephanie asked. He nodded and she hugged him again. Sportacus smiled and asked, "So, what do we next?"

"That's what Uncle Milford and I were trying to figure out." Stephanie sighed.

"Well first why don't we clean up the sports field? Maybe that will bring the kids out of their houses." Sportacus suggested.

"We might as well give it a shot." The Mayor said. The three of them went out to the sports field and picked up the garbage. Sportacus moved the soccer nets and the Mayor mowed the field. While the Mayor was mowing, Stephanie found the line painter and the cans of paint. Sportacus helped Stephanie paint the lines on the field while Uncle Milford put away the mower. Then Sportacus grabbed the soccer nets and moved them back. Stephanie repainted the goal posts while Uncle Milford fixed the gates. Sportacus fixed the bleachers and gave them a new coat of paint. Then he lifted Stephanie up so she could paint the crossbars on the soccer nets. The three of them then took the time to admire their work.

"Wow! Look at that!" Stephanie said.

"Yeah it looks great. Let's see if anyone will come out and play." Sportacus said. Stephanie and Sportacus went to Ziggy's house. Stephanie knocked on the door.

"I don't want to talk to you Trixie. Go away!" Ziggy's voice came through the door.

"Ziggy, it's me Stephanie."

"Stephanie?" Ziggy asked.

"Yes, it's me and Sportacus." Stephanie told him. Ziggy opened the door. The sun hurt his eyes and he shielded them with his hands. Upon recognizing both Stephanie and Sportacus, Ziggy shouted, "I can't believe it's you." He hugged both of them.

"I missed you guys. Sportacus, where'd you go?" Ziggy asked.

"Well I had some thinking to do and Stephanie helped me realize what was really important." Sportacus explained.

"What was that?" Ziggy asked.

"You, Stingy, Pixel, Trixie, Stephanie, and everyone else in LazyTown are what is important to me." Sportacus smiled.

"Good then you're going to stay?" Ziggy asked.

"Yes but we need your help. We have to get you and your friends back together." Sportacus said.

"Well I don't know if I'll talk to Trixie ever again." Ziggy declared.

"You can't mean that, Ziggy." Stephanie said.

"I'll doubt she'll even talk to you, Stephanie. She yelled at Pixel when he came over to help. It sounded like she blamed you for Pixel running away. Then she blamed Pixel for Sportacus having to go get him. After that she blamed Sportacus for what happened to the tree house and the power." Ziggy explained.

"Ziggy did you guys find anything out of place when you were picking up the tree house?" Sportacus suddenly asked.

"We found a bowling ball among the mess but no one remembered having one up in the tree house." Ziggy explained.

"Come on let's go to Stingy's and see if he'll come out." Stephanie said. Ziggy closed his door and the three of them headed to Stingy's. Sportacus was quite on the way there and Stephanie looked at him. She saw that he was deep in thought and didn't say anything until they reached Stingy's house. They had success at Stingy's house and then headed to Trixie's.

"This is going to be ugly." Ziggy said.

"Oh come on, I bet we can make things work out." Stephanie said. They knocked on Trixie's door.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Who is it?" Trixie asked.

"It's Stephanie, Ziggy, Stingy, and Sportacus. Please open the door Trixie." Stephanie pleaded. There was silence on the other side of the door.

"Trixie?" Stephanie asked. Then the door opened. Trixie was crying. Stephanie hugged her.

"I'm so sorry, Stephanie." Trixie managed between sobs.

"It's ok Trixie. We're your friends and we forgive you." Stephanie said. Sportacus, Ziggy, and Stingy grabbed the two girls in a giant hug. Trixie was apologizing the entire time to everyone.

"Come on let's go to Pixel's." Stephanie said.

"There is no way he'll forgive me." Trixie started to cry again. Sportacus handed her his handkerchief.

"Don't worry, Trixie. We'll work it out." Sportacus smiled.

"Yeah, Sportacus is right. We can do anything together." Stephanie said.

"Yeah!" Ziggy and Stingy shouted. The group made it to Pixel's house and Stephanie knocked on the door.

"Pixel, its Stephanie. I'm here with Ziggy, Stingy, Trixie, and Sportacus. Can we come in." Stephanie asked.

"No." Pixel answered flatly.

"Why not?" Ziggy asked.

"Pixel I want to apologize. I shouldn't have exploded on you like that. Can you forgive me?" Trixie asked. The door slowly opened and Pixel stuck his head out.

"Do you really mean that?" He asked.

"Of course, I do. I'm sorry." Trixie said again. Pixel smiled and gave Trixie a hug.

"I forgive you. Friends?" Pixel asked.

"Friends." Trixie replied.

"Yeah!" They all shouted.

"So want to you want to do next?" Stephanie asked.

"Let's play!" Pixel said. The whole group ran to the sports field and started to toss a Frisbee around. The entire time they laughed and had a good time.

Robbie was watching through his periscope and was not pleased at all. "I thought I got rid of all this running and jumping and Sportacus!" Robbie shouted. Then Robbie realized he had a problem. "What if Sportacus figured out what happened? He'll come after me. I know he will. I gotta find somewhere to hide. But where can I hide?" Robbie asked himself.

The kids were taking a juice break when Sportacus told them he had some business to attend to. Stephanie asked him what he was going to do and he said that he had to talk to her Uncle. Ok with that the kids decided to play something other than Frisbee and Sportacus flipped his way over to Mayor Meanswell's.

When Sportacus left, Stephanie said, "Hey guys. We should have a party."

"What for?" Stingy asked.

"To celebrate becoming friends again and that Sportacus came back." Stephanie explained. Everyone thought that was a good idea and they started to discuss what they were going to do. Trixie had to get decorations and Pixel had to get the music. Ziggy, Stingy, and Stephanie decided what to do for food. Then everyone gathered back at the sports field.

"Where are we going to hold the party?" Trixie asked.

"Good question." Ziggy said. That was a good question. The bunch talked about that and decided that the sports field would be a good place to do it.

"How do we keep it a secret?" Pixel asked.

TO BE CONTINUED….


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Sportacus was talking to the Mayor about the bowling balls found at the tree house and the power plant. Mayor Meanswell said that no one had seen them in the air. Sportacus said he had a good idea where they came from. With that Sportacus got up and started toward the door. The Mayor called after him for him to wait. He was coming too. Sportacus agreed that would be a good idea and the two of them headed for Robbie's lair.

Trixie returned to the sports field with the decorations. Pixel had come just after her and told everyone that the music was ready. Then they all got to work setting up the streamers, balloons, and tables. They set the tables with festive tablecloths but they didn't know what to use for plates and silverware.

"Hey does anyone have paper plates at their house?" Stephanie asked.

"I might," Ziggy said. "I'll go check." With that Ziggy was off like a shot.

"While Ziggy is looking for paper plates, what do we do about plastic silverware?" Trixie asked.

"My Uncle may have some. I'll be right back." Stephanie ran to her Uncle's house. When she got there she found that he wasn't home. She looked for a note but didn't find one. _Maybe he and Sportacus went back to the power plant_, she thought. Meanwhile she found what she was looking for when the phone rang. She picked it up and said, "Hello, this is Stephanie."

"Hi Stephanie. It's Vigdís. I was wondering if everything turned out ok."

"Oh yes, thank you. Sportacus is back and we managed to get everyone to be friends again. By the way we're throwing an 'Everything is back to normal' party. Can you and Number 9 come?" Stephanie asked.

"That sounds like fun. Let me find my husband and I'll get back to you." Vigdís said.

"Great. Talk to you later." Stephanie said and she hung up the phone. Then she left for the sports field.

Sportacus and the Mayor arrived at Robbie Rotten's lair. Sportacus just slid down the tube without thinking. Mayor Meanswell cautiously followed him down the tube. Robbie heard something coming down the tube and automatically panicked. In his panic he tripped over Sportacus. "I meant to do that." He said as he went sprawling across the floor.

"Let me help you up, Robbie." Sportacus grabbed him by the collar and hauled him to his feet.

"Sportakook, er Sportacus! What a pleasant surprise! What are you going to do to me?" Robbie asked. Just then the Mayor came flying out of the tube and knocked Sportacus and Robbie to the ground.

"Sorry about that everyone." The Mayor said. Sportacus didn't respond and just picked Robbie back up.

"So Robbie you like to fling stuff with your catapult." Sportacus said harshly.

"Well it is kind of fun, er I mean no. No I don't." Robbie said.

"Then explain the bowling balls with your initials on them." Sportacus demanded.

"Uh…" Robbie started.

"That's what I thought." Sportacus said. Mayor Meanswell stood there watching everything unfold. He had never seen Sportacus so worked up, not even when Stephanie was in the hospital last summer. The Mayor decided to intervene before things got ugly.

"Gentlemen, lets calm down and settle this properly." The Mayor butted in.

"You're right Mayor. I lost my head. I'm sorry Robbie." Sportacus said and set Robbie down. Robbie brushed the imaginary germs off of him and adjusted his outfit.

"Now Robbie we know it was you who destroyed the tree house and power transformer. Don't try to deny it. You caused about five hundred dollars in damages to the power plant. This has to be corrected." The Mayor explained.

"Well maybe if Sportapoop, er Sportacus wasn't here I wouldn't do that stuff." Robbie said.

"I'm not leaving LazyTown again. I'm here forever." Sportacus said.

"It's obvious that you guys will never get along. Now back to the damages. Robbie, as the Mayor, I have decided your punishment will be cleaning up the sports field every weekend for all of June, July, and August." Mayor Meanswell said.

"But..." Robbie started.

"No buts. I'll see you bright and early Saturday morning at eight in the morning. Sportacus you will have to help Robbie keep his appointment." The Mayor put his foot down. Then he grabbed Sportacus and they left.

"Sportacus, what I saw in there was very scary. What was going on?" The Mayor asked.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Before Sportacus had a chance to answer Stephanie came around the corner carrying the plastic silverware and some more paper plates and tablecloths she found. Not able to see where she was going Stephanie bumped into Sportacus and fell down. Sportacus grabbed Stephanie before she hit the ground and stood her up.

"Thank you, Sportacus." Stephanie blushed. The Mayor picked up the silverware, plates, and tablecloths. Stephanie just stared at Sportacus for a moment and then started to blush.

"Are you ok, Stephanie?" Sportacus asked. Stephanie felt her cheeks grow hot.

"Yes, but I feel stupid." Stephanie said.

"Why is that dear?" Uncle Milford asked as Sportacus took the silverware, plates, and tablecloths from him.

"Well those things are supposed to be…" Stephanie started.

"Stephanie!" Pixel ran over.

"Pixel." Stephanie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good thing I caught you. Sportacus we'll take this stuff if you promise to follow us and close your eyes." Pixel said.

"Ok." Sportacus said confused. Pixel, Stephanie, and Mayor Meanswell carried the extra stuff as they led Sportacus to the sports field.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Sportacus laughed.

"Almost, only a few more seconds." Pixel said. The group entered the sports field and they let Sportacus open his eyes.

"Surprise!" Everyone shouted. Pixel, Trixie, Stingy, Ziggy, Vigdís, Number 9, and Bessie had finished setting up things while Stephanie had gone looking for the silverware. Stephanie was just as surprised as Sportacus at the job they had done. There was a banners that said, "Welcome back Sportacus!" and another one that said, "So glad to be friends again." The cake had still had to be frosted when she left. They had done that and brought out the rest of the meal. Number 9 had cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on Mayor Meanswell's grill and Vigdís had brought some of her world famous Sugar free apple pie and ice cream. There was plenty of sports candy as well. They had also made some iced tea and lemonade.

"Wow!" Was all Sportacus could say.

"Let's party!" Bessie shouted. At that Pixel started the music and everyone sat down and had some food. Later they played games and sang karaoke. As the party was winding down Pixel found Stephanie and pulled her off to the side.

"Stephanie, can we talk?" He asked her.

"Sure Pixel. What's on your mind?" Stephanie asked him.

"I'm sorry for not responding to your letters and phone calls. I should have no matter what was going on here." Pixel apologized.

"I must admit, it hurt when you didn't write back. My mother and I spent a lot of nights trying to get the scoop from Uncle Milford, but that didn't work out. You don't have to worry though. There were a lot of things going on in LazyTown. I forgive you." Stephanie said.

"Really?" Pixel asked. Stephanie leaned over to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Really." Stephanie said.

"Then I have something for you." Pixel said as he hit a button on his digi pad. The song that was playing changed and the next song started.

"Cause it's you and me and all of the people,

And I don't know why,

I can't keep my eyes off of you,

All of the things that I want to say,

Just aren't coming out right,

I'm tripping inwards,

You got my head spinning,

… And it's you and me and all of the people,

And I don't know why,

I can't keep my eyes off of you,

I can't quite figure out,

Everything she does is beautiful,

Everything she does is right,

… And it's you and me and all of the people,

And I don't know why,

I can't keep my eyes off of you…"

Pixel smiled and Stephanie blushed. The two of them just stood there while they listened to the song and stared at each other.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Stephanie awoke the next morning and went down to the kitchen. There was a note on the table form Uncle Milford. It read:

"Stephanie,

I went to talk to Sportacus. I'm not sure when I'll be back but there is cereal in the cupboard and some fresh fruit on the counter. See you later.

Love,

Uncle Milford"

After reading the note Stephanie went and took a shower and got ready for the day. She wondered what Uncle Milford had to talk to Sportacus about. Without giving it a second thought she finished her breakfast and left to go play with her friends.

Mayor Meanswell had a lot to talk to Sportacus about. They continued their conversation where they left off the other day, Sportacus' scary behavior.

"Well Sportacus, what is going on?" The Mayor asked.

"I lost control. I've never felt that way before. I was just so frustrated with Robbie. I can't go do something as simple as going to get someone without him trying to get rid of me. Sometimes I wonder if I should have never come to LazyTown. Ever since I got here Robbie hasn't let us have a moment of peace." Sportacus told him.

"But look at all the good that came from your arrival. The kids in LazyTown now play outside. I cleaned up the sports field and now we use it all the time. The kids look up to you. They expect you to give them advice and sports candy. The entire life style in LazyTown has changed since you arrived. On top of all that you are a great friend. You are loyal, trustworthy, and a confidant. That is what the kids and the rest of LazyTown want." Mayor Meanswell explained to Sportacus.

"I'm all those things? I'm just so afraid of letting everyone down." Sportacus said. The Mayor was surprised to hear Sportacus say he was afraid.

"Listen Sportacus, the only time that would happen was if you never came back. We were miserable here without you for that month and a half." Milford said.

"Well if Stephanie hadn't knocked some sense into me I might not have." Sportacus sighed.

"We need to thank her for that. You know Pixel told me it was her idea to throw that party last night." The Mayor declared. At that Sportacus smiled.

"Really? She did that for everyone?" Sportacus got an impish grin on his face.

"Yes. I don't know if it was so much for everyone but for you. I'm telling you she knows when you aren't your usual self. I think she is a little more perceptive than she lets on." The Mayor smiled.

"I'm glad we had this talk, Mayor. It has put everything back into perspective for me. You know Stephanie must get perceptiveness from you." Sportacus said.

"What are you going to do now?" Mayor Meanswell asked.

"I'm going to find the kids and make some plans." Sportacus smiled. When the Mayor asked what he meant, Sportacus didn't elaborate. He just told Milford that he would let him know in time.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Stephanie and the kids were playing soccer on the sports field. The ball went out of bounds and Pixel was going to go after it when it suddenly bounced back in bounds.

"Sportacus!" Ziggy shouted.

"Hi guys! Got room for one more player?" Sportacus smiled.

"Of course Sportacus, as long as you are on **_MY_** team." Stingy said.

"Stingy!" Trixie scolded.

"All right **_OUR_** team." Stingy said. Sportacus laughed and said, "So where can I play?"

"Well I'm playing goalie. Pixel and Ziggy are on one team and Trixie and Stingy on the other team. The first one to score a goal wins. It's like a mini game of World Cup. You could be on my team and then we wouldn't need a goalie. Plus then the first team to score gets to be first and the other two teams could play for second. " Stephanie explained.

"Ok sounds good." Sportacus said. Pixel grabbed the ball and threw it to Stephanie.

"Punt it, Stephanie. That way we can start." Pixel told her. Stephanie nodded. She put the ball in her two hands, held them out in front of her body and brought her leg up with all her might. The soccer ball soared into the air and everyone watched as it came down near mid-field.

"Wow! What a kick from the goalie box!" Sportacus exclaimed. Stephanie came out and joined Sportacus in trying to get the ball. Pixel passed it to Ziggy. Ziggy wasn't paying attention and the ball hit him in the head. The ball sailed toward the net and Stephanie jumped in front of it. It bounced off her chest and Sportacus brought the ball down with his chest. Once the ball was at his feet he passed it to Stephanie. She planted her left foot and plastered the ball with her right. The ball sped toward the net and Trixie tried to block it. She just missed and the ball hit the back of the net.

"Yeah!" Stephanie cheered. Sportacus gave her a high five.

"Good shot!" Sportacus said. Pixel was over with Ziggy.

"Sportacus, I think you need to look at Ziggy's head." Pixel said. Sportacus came over and saw a big goose egg forming on Ziggy's head.

"Stephanie, can you go get some ice for Ziggy's head?" Sportacus asked.

"Sure." Stephanie responded and ran off to her Uncle's house. While she was gone Sportacus made sure Ziggy didn't have a concussion and then explained his plan to the kids. They agreed to his plan just as Stephanie was returning with the ice.

"Here you go Sportacus." She handed him the ice. Sportacus put the ice on Ziggy's head.

"How does that feel, Ziggy?" Sportacus asked.

"Better." He said.

"You know you're being very brave Ziggy." Stephanie said.

"Yeah, that looks like it hurts a lot." Trixie said.

"I think we should get Ziggy home to rest." Sportacus said as he scooped Ziggy up. The rest of the kids agreed and they walked to Ziggy's house. After dropping him off, Stephanie realized what time it was.

"I have to go home. Uncle Milford needs me to help him with something." she said. Stephanie took off leaving Stingy, Trixie, Pixel, and Sportacus to put the plan into action.

"Stephanie is going to be so surprised." Trixie said.

"I hope so." Pixel smiled.

"You guys get the decorations going and I'll get the tables set up." Sportacus said. The kids got together and started to make the banner. Once they finished that they got balloons and streamers together. Sportacus had the tables set up and went to make a few phone calls.

They had everything together by six o'clock and Sportacus told Pixel to go get Stephanie and the Mayor. Pixel left and the others made sure things were in place. Pixel arrived at Mayor Meanswell's house and rang the doorbell. Stephanie opened it.

"Hi, Pixel. Good timing we just finished." Stephanie said.

"Can you and the Mayor come out?" Pixel asked.

"Sure." Stephanie gave him a look of confusion.

"Close your eyes Stephanie." Pixel said. She did as she was told and Pixel let her to the sports field. Mayor Meanswell smiled and followed them.

"Surprise!" Everyone shouted. Stephanie opened her eyes and smiled.

"Oh guys! This is for me?" Stephanie asked.

"We thought you deserved it." Sportacus explained.

"A party for me? Why?" Stephanie asked confused.

"Because you brought everyone back to their senses." Number 9 explained.

"Oh, we have a special surprise for you." Vigdís smiled. Just then Amanda and Doug came out from behind the gate at the opposite end of the field.

"Mom! Dad!" Stephanie ran over to them.

"Surprise sweetheart." Amanda said. They hugged and the party got under way.

It lasted long into the night and Robbie wasn't happy. _Well I'll just have to plan something really rotten for them_, Robbie thought. Then he remembered his job that he had to do in a couple of days and decided better of it. "I will get you next time, Sportakook!" Robbie shouted.

The night ended when Stephanie got up in front of everyone and thanked them for the party. Then Stephanie smiled and sang:

"Bing bang diggiriggidong

Funny words I sing when I am dancing.

Bing bang diggiriggidong

Silly words that can mean anything.

Get on up it's time to dance yeah.

It's so much fun being up on our feet.

So we go

Up up – do the jump

Move around and clap your hands together.

Down down – turn around

Having fun is what it's all about."

See you soon!


End file.
